Easy to open bag and a method for making the same

ABSTRACT

A bag is provided having a first end and a second end. The bag has a generally tubular shape, with the first end configured to remain sealed and the second end configured to be opened. The second end defines a recess, and the bag is configured to receive one or more objects in the recess defined within the second end. The bag has a first cross section at a location between the first end and the second end. The bag is folded in the first cross-section so that the bag material forms at least three plies. At least one inner ply is formed, at least two outer plies are formed, and a first portion of the at least one inner plies is left exposed. One or more bags may be provided as a sheet. Methods for making the bags and for opening the bags are also provided.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/111,268, filed on Nov. 9, 2020, in the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to an easy to open bag.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Bags such as produce bags, trash bags, or other similar bags are often difficult to open. Before being used, the bags are often provided as part of a roll with a large number of bags connected together. For packaging purposes and due to space constraints, the bags are often packed tightly together, and each individual bag may be folded as well. Additionally, some bags include adhesive material to help adhere the folds of an individual bag together, and many users may have difficulty in locating the folds of a bag. For each of these reasons, users may have great difficulty in unfolding bags and then opening the bags.

Because of the difficulty with opening bags, other consequences frequently occur. Users may grow frustrated and change their mind about purchasing an item after having trouble opening a produce style bag. Further, where users are unable to open bags, they may throw the bags away without ever using the bags.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a bag that may be easily opened so that groceries and/or other objects may be placed within the bag. In various embodiments, the bag has locations where a user may pinch and pull the bag material so that the bag may be opened. These locations may be provided at the edges of the bag, where users typically attempt to open a bag. An indication such as text, coloring, or markings may be provided on the bag or on a container holding the bag to inform the user about where the bag should be pinched and pulled in order to easily open the bag. The bags may beneficially be folded when stored and may be implemented into sheets comprising a large number of individual bags that are removably secured together. In this way, a large number of bags can be packed into a small volume, but the bags may still be easily opened even after they have been tightly packed together. The easy to use bag is convenient and causes less frustration for the user. Further, because the bag is easier to open, users are less likely to throw these bags away and attempt to open another bag.

One aspect of the invention is directed to a bag for the containment items. The bag comprises a first end and a second end and has a generally tubular shape. The first end is configured to remain sealed, the second end is configured to be opened, and the second end defines a recess. The bag is configured to receive one or more objects in the recess defined within the second end. The bag comprises a first cross section at a location between the first end and the second end, and the bag is folded in the first cross-section so that the bag material forms at least three plies. At least one inner ply is formed, at least two outer plies are formed, and a first portion of the at least one inner plies is left exposed.

Another aspect of the invention is directed to a sheet of bags. The sheet of bags comprises at least two bags, with each of the at least two bags having a generally tubular shape. Each of the at least two bags also comprises a first end and a second end, with the first end being configured to remain sealed. The second end of each of the at least two bags defines a recess and is configured to be opened. Each of the at least two bags is configured to receive one or more objects in the recess defined within the second end. Each of the at least two bags comprises a first cross-section at a location between the first end and the second end. Each of the at least two bags is folded in the first cross-section so that the bag material forms at least three plies. At least one inner ply is formed, at least two outer plies are formed, and a first portion of the at least one inner plies is left exposed. The at least two bags comprises at least a first bag and a second bag, and the first end of the first bag and the second end of the second bag are removably attached to each other. The first bag and the second bag are configured to be separated from each other upon the application of force by a user.

Another aspect of the invention is directed to a method for opening a bag. The method comprises providing a bag having a generally tubular shape and comprising a first end and a second end. The first end is configured to remain sealed and the second end is configured to be opened. The second end defines a recess, and the bag is configured to receive one or more objects in the recess defined within the second end. The bag comprises a first cross section at a location between the first end and the second end. The bag is folded in the first cross-section so that the bag material forms at least three plies, with at least one inner ply being formed, with at least two outer plies being formed. A first portion of the at least one inner plies is left exposed. The method further comprises pinching the first portion of the at least one inner ply, pinching a second portion on the surface of one or more of the at least two outer plies, and pulling the first portion and the second portion apart to increase the area of the recess defined within the second end of the bag.

Another aspect of the invention is related to a method for preparing a sheet of bags for the containment in packaging. This method comprises providing at least two bags and folding the at least two bags to form at least three plies, wherein two outer plies and one or more inner plies are formed. The method also comprises exposing at least some portion of at least one inner ply of the one or more inner plies and removably securing the at least two bags together to form a sheet comprising multiple bags.

Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiments of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily to scale, wherein:

FIG. 1A is a top view of an exemplary closed and folded bag of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1B is a top view of the bag presented in FIG. 1A where the bag is in the process of being unfolded and opened.

FIG. 2 is a schematic, perspective view of an exemplary sheet of bags of an embodiment of the present invention, where the sheet is configured around an axis to form a bag-on-a-roll.

FIG. 3A is a schematic, perspective view of an exemplary bag of an embodiment of the present invention where two inner plies and a tab are provided.

FIG. 3B is a schematic, cross-sectional view of the bag presented in FIG. 3A where the bag is folded and closed.

FIG. 3C is a schematic, cross-sectional view of the bag presented in FIG. 3A where the bag is in the process of being unfolded and opened.

FIG. 3D is a schematic view of a bag where the bag may be further folded to obtain the configuration of the bag presented in FIG. 3A.

FIG. 4A is a top view of an exemplary bag of an embodiment of the present invention where the bag is folded and closed.

FIG. 4B is a top view of the bag presented in FIG. 4A where the bag is in the process of being unfolded and opened.

FIG. 5 is schematic, cross-sectional view of another exemplary bag of an embodiment of the present invention where the bag is folded and closed and where two inner plies are provided.

FIG. 6 is schematic, cross-sectional view of another exemplary bag of an embodiment of the present invention where the bag is folded and closed and where one inner ply is provided.

FIG. 7 is schematic, cross-sectional view of another exemplary bag of an embodiment of the present invention where the bag is folded and closed and where two inner plies are provided with a first inner ply that is longer than the other plies.

FIG. 8 is schematic, cross-sectional view of another exemplary bag of an embodiment of the present invention where the bag is folded and closed and where two inner plies are provided with a first inner ply that is longer than the other plies and with the first inner ply being further folded.

FIG. 9 is schematic, cross-sectional view of another exemplary bag of an embodiment of the present invention where the bag is folded and closed and where two inner plies are provided that are further folded.

FIG. 10 is schematic, top view of an exemplary bag of an embodiment of the present invention where the bag is folded and closed and where a corner of an outer ply is further folded.

FIG. 11 is another schematic, top view of an exemplary bag of an embodiment of the present invention where the bag is folded and closed and where a section of an outer ply is removed.

FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method for preparing a sheet of bags for the containment in packaging in an embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following description of the embodiments of the present invention is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses. The following description is provided herein solely by way of example for purposes of providing an enabling disclosure of the invention, but does not limit the scope or substance of the invention.

FIG. 1A is a top view of an exemplary closed and folded bag 100 of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a top view of the bag of FIG. 1A where the bag 100 is in the process of being opened. The bag 100 is provided with a first end 102 and a second end 104, and the bag 100 has a generally tubular shape. The first end 102 is configured to remain sealed and the second end 104 defines a recess. The shape of bag 100 may not be entirely tubular because the first end 102 may remain sealed, but the bag 100 may maintain a generally tubular shape as other portions of the bag 100 may have a hollow cross section.

The bag 100 may be a star seal bag, and this star seal may be provided at the first end 102 to assist with maintaining a seal. The “star seal” design (a bag having multiple layers and longitudinally folded over on itself and sealed at the bottom so that when it is opened up, the bottom of the bag viewing from the inside resembles a star) offers excellent bottom seal strength with thin gauge films. These bags are strong and may distribute load more evenly in comparison to other types of bags. Further, star seal bags may conform to the shape of another container more easily, making the bags particularly useful for use as trash bags and liners placed within a rigid or semi-rigid container. While a star seal bag will preferably be used, other types of bags may also be used. For example, a flat seal or a gusseted seal may be provided at the first end 102 to seal the bag 100. Grocery produce bags of this star seal type are somewhat easier to open than the traditional roll produce bags. Openability of this star seal type bag is improved due to the increased number of layers of film at the bag mouth.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the recess defined at the second end 104 is closed so that a user may not insert items into the bag 100 through the recess. Thus, the bag 100 is generally closed in FIG. 1A. This may occur so that contamination may be prevented inside of the bag 100, and this closed state may also occur so that the bag 100 may be tightly packed with other bags when stored or shipped and to facilitate ease of dispensing.

The first end 102 of a bag may be removably secured to other bags at the edge 110. For example, perforations may be provided at edge 110, and two bags may be separated from each other by tearing the perforations at the edge 110. However, other approaches for removably securing the bags may also be used, such as by applying adhesives, by adding additional material that may be torn after the application of sufficient force, folding together layers of a bottom end of a bag into the top end of the next bag, etc.

As demonstrated in FIG. 1B, the bag 100 is configured to be opened at the second end 104 so that the recess defined at the second end 104 enlarges in area. Once opened, the bag 100 is configured to receive one or more objects through the recess defined within the second end 104.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the bag 100 is folded so that the bag 100 maintains generally the same cross section along a first direction running from the first end to the second end. However, the shape of the cross section may vary at certain positions along the first direction in some embodiments. For example, where a star seal bag is used, the cross section at the first end 102 may be different than the cross section at other locations. The bag 100 may be folded so that three or more plies are provided. Of these three or more plies, at least one inner ply 108 is formed and two outer plies 106 are formed. While the outer plies 106 cover up most of the surface area for the inner plies 108, a first portion of the at least one inner plies 108 is left exposed. Thus, the bag 100 is configured to allow a user to pinch or grasp and pull the bag at the exposed first portion of the at least one inner plies 108 while also pinching and pulling a second portion of the bag 100 at the external surface on one or more of the outer plies 106 in an opposite direction.

As shown in FIG. 1B, the first portion may be pinched and pulled to the left while the second portion may be pinched and pulled to the right. By doing so, the outer plies 106 may begin to shift as illustrated in FIG. 1B, causing the recess defined within the second end 104 to increase in area. In this way, a user may finish opening the bag at the one or more inner plies 108 with ease by pulling a first point 107 near the second end 104 and a second point 109 near the second end 104. This pinching and pulling may be performed simply using one's fingers. Alternatively, a portion of the bag 100 may be removably fixed or held in place either by a user pinching or in another manner such as mechanical means to provide a neutral or counter force to a portion of bag 100 while the user may pinch and pull only one of either of the at least one inner plies 108 or a second portion of bag 100 to open the recess on second end 104.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of an exemplary sheet 250 consisting of a plurality of individual bags 200 that are identical or nearly identical. In the illustrated embodiment, the sheet 250 is packed tightly into a roll, and individual bags 200 may be removed from other bags in the sheet 250 by pulling an accessible end of the sheet 250 away from the roll and tearing or pulling an individual bag 200 from the sheet 250. Similar to the bag 100 presented in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the individual bags 200 may each comprise a first end 202 and a second end 204, 204′. The individual bags 200 may also comprise an edge 210 with perforations, and the bags 200 may also define one or more recesses 212, 212′ proximate to the second end 204. As one bag 200 is being removed from the remainder of the sheet 250, the recess 212′ on the next bag is configured to come into contact with a projection or protrusion such as a prong, and, by pulling the bag 200, the projection may exert a force that causes the perforations to be torn and causes the bag 200 to be removed from the remainder of the sheet 250.

While the sheets may be packed and stored with the bags formed into a bag-on-a-roll, the sheets may also be packed in other manners as well. For example, the sheet may be folded so that parallel layers are formed. In some embodiments, the bags are not removably secured to form sheets, and the individual bags may be packed together as a group into parallel layers as well.

FIG. 3A is a schematic perspective view of an exemplary bag 300 of an embodiment of the present invention. This figure is exaggerated to show the various plies that are formed when the bag 300 is folded. The bag 300 comprises two outer plies 314 and two inner plies 316. The inner plies 316 extend a greater length than the outer plies 314 (in the x-direction here) so that a first portion 320 on the external surfaces of the inner plies 316 remain exposed. This additional length 319 is shown in FIGS. 3B & 3C, and the first portion 320 is provided on the additional length 319.

The bag 300 has an additional tab 322. Thus, to open the bag 300, a user may pinch and pull an exposed first portion 320 at one or more of the inner plies 316 and the user may also pinch and pull the tab 322 in the opposite direction. By using this tab 322, the bag 300 may provide the user with a distinctly evident location where they are supposed to pinch the bag 300 so that the bag 300 may be opened. The location of the tab 322 allows for the bag 300 to be efficiently opened because pinching and pulling the tab 322 will cause both of the outer plies 314 to be unfolded simultaneously and in parallel, enhancing the ease of opening the bag 300. However, in other embodiments, the tab 322 may be positioned elsewhere on the bag 300 as desired to improve the bag opening function. The tab 322 may be an additional material that is added or affixed to the bag 300 so that the bag 300 may be easily opened, or the tab 322 may not be made of an additional material and may instead be created by folding the bag 300 to provide the tab 322. In some embodiments, tab 322 may be created by configuring a piece of material of bag 300, such as from a die-cut flap, vent, or aperture in bag 300.

A person may pinch the first portion 320 with one hand, pinch a second portion 318 (FIG. 3B) on the surface of the tab 322 with another hand, and pull the first portion 320 and the second portion 318 apart to increase the area of the recess defined within the second end 304 of the bag 300. However, other devices may be used to assist in opening the bag 300.

In some embodiments, the bag 300 may be marked or the user may be instructed to pinch and pull the tab 322 so that the bag 300 may be opened. In some embodiments, instructions or indications may be printed on the bag 300 to show the user where the bag 300 should preferably be pinched and pulled. These instructions or indications may be provided through the use of coloring, text, images, etc. In some embodiments the first portion 320 and/or the second portion 318 may have a textured consistency different from the rest of the bag 300 material to aid in viewing the pinching area and in pinching or grasping the bag 300. The first portion 320 and second portion 318 may have a higher coefficient of friction than the other areas on the bag 300 in some embodiments, which may assist with pinching or grasping the bag 300.

FIG. 3B is schematic, cross-sectional view of the bag 300 presented in FIG. 3A. The inner plies 316 comprise an additional length 319 that extends past the full length of the outer plies 314, and the first portion 320 of the inner ply 316 may be provided at this additional length 319. FIG. 3B also allows the tab 322 and the second portion 318 on that tab to be more easily seen. The second portion 318 may be positioned anywhere on the tab 322, and the bag 300 may still be opened even when other pinch locations are used.

FIG. 3C is a schematic, cross-sectional view of the bag 300 presented in FIG. 3A where the bag 300 is in the process of being unfolded and opened. By pinching and pulling an exposed first portion 320 on the external surface of the inner plies 316 while also pinching and pulling a second portion 318 on the tab 322, the recess of second end 304 is increased becoming 304′ and bag 300 may be easily opened. FIG. 3B shows this bag 300 when it is in a state to be opened. After the bag 300 has been partially opened as shown in FIG. 3C, a user may fully open the bag 300 with ease. For example, the user may pull the first point 307 and the second point 309 at the second end 304 shown in FIG. 3C to fully open the bag 300 and unfold the inner plies 316.

FIG. 3D is a schematic, cross-sectional view of an exemplary bag 300′, which may be further folded to obtain the bag 300 of FIG. 3A. The bag 300′ comprises two outer plies 314 and two inner plies 316 as well as a tab 322. The bag 300′ may be generally folded along line 323, shifting the plies on the left in a counterclockwise direction and/or shifting the plies on the right in a clockwise direction so that inner plies 316 may be positioned adjacent to each other. Once folded, the bag 300 may be provided and the bag 300 may eventually be opened using the second portion 318 at tab 322 and the first portion 320 at one or more of the additional lengths 319.

FIG. 4A is a top view of an exemplary bag 400 of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4B is a top view of the bag 400 presented in FIG. 4A where the bag 400 is in the process of being unfolded and opened. This embodiment comprises a cross section similar to the cross section of the bag 300 presented in FIG. 3B, but the tabs 420 comprise additional material that is added at the free edge of an upper ply and at the free edge of a lower ply. The tabs 420 may be pinched and pulled in opposite directions to open the bag. In this embodiment, the tabs 420 comprise a different material than the material of other portions of the bag 400, and the tabs 420 are colored differently than the other portions of the bag. By providing tabs 420 with these characteristics, the tabs 420 may be more noticeable to a user so that a user will be more likely to pinch at the tabs 420. Providing tabs 420 with a different material may also be beneficial because the tabs may comprise a material with a higher coefficient of friction than the remainder of the bag, making it easier for users to pull on the tabs and allowing the material in the remainder of the bag to be more easily opened. Having a lower coefficient of friction for most of the bag may be beneficial so that the bag material may easily slide without excess friction. The bag 400 may also be folded first and the tabs may be added after the folding has been performed—by doing this, the bag 400 may generally maintain an improved balance and symmetry during the folding process, allowing a folding machine to generate the folding arrangement shown with increased reliability.

FIG. 5 is a schematic, cross sectional view of a bag 500. This bag has two outer plies 514 and two inner plies 516. The inner plies 516 comprise an additional length 519 that extends past the full length of the outer plies 514, and the first portion 520 may be provided at one or more of these additional lengths 519. The bag 500 may be opened by pinching and pulling an exposed first portion 520 while also pinching and pulling one or more exposed second portions 518 of the outer plies 514.

FIG. 6 is a schematic, cross sectional view of a bag 600. This bag has two outer plies 614 and only one inner ply 616. This inner ply 616 comprises an additional length 619 that extends past the full length of the outer plies 614, and the first portion 620 may be provided at this additional length 619. The bag 600 may be opened by pinching and pulling an exposed first portion 620 of the inner ply 616 while also pinching and pulling one or more exposed second portions 618 of the outer plies 614.

FIG. 7 is another schematic, cross-sectional view of an exemplary bag 700 of an embodiment of the present invention. This bag 700 operates similar to the bag 500 presented in FIG. 5, with two outer plies 714, and two inner plies 716, 717 provided. However, in the bag 700 presented in FIG. 7, a first inner ply 716 is provided that comprises an excess length 719 that extends past the full length of a second inner ply 717. The second inner ply 717 comprises the same length as the outer plies 714, but these lengths may be modified in other embodiments. This bag 700 is configured so that a user may pinch and pull an exposed first portion 720 on the first inner ply 716 while also pinching and pulling one or more exposed second portions 718 on the external surface of one or more of the outer plies 714.

FIG. 8 is another schematic, cross-sectional view of an exemplary bag 800 of an embodiment of the present invention. This bag 800 operates similar to the bag 700 presented in FIG. 7 in some respects. However, the excess length 819 of the first inner ply 816 is even longer than the excess length 719 of the first inner ply 716 in FIG. 7. The excess length 819 of the first inner ply 816 is further folded. In this way, the bag 800 may be packed more tightly while still allowing the bag 800 to be easily opened. In this embodiment, a user may pinch and pull a first portion 820 located at the excess length 819 of the first inner ply 816 while also pinching and pulling one or more second portions 818 at an external face of one or more of the outer plies 814 in order to open the bag. By folding the excess length 819 of the first inner ply 816, the bag 800 may generally maintain an improved balance and symmetry, allowing a folding machine to generate the folding arrangement with increased reliability.

FIG. 9 is another schematic, cross-sectional view of an exemplary bag 900 of an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, two outer plies 914 and two inner plies 916 are provided, and both of the inner plies 916 comprise an additional length 919 that extends past the full length of the outer plies 914. Further, the additional lengths 919 for each of the two inner plies 916 is folded. In this way, the bag 900 may be packed more tightly while still allowing the bag 900 to be easily opened. By folding the additional lengths 919, the bag 900 may generally maintain an improved balance and symmetry, allowing a folding machine to generate the folding arrangement with increased reliability. The bag 900 may be opened similar to bag 800 described above.

FIG. 10 is schematic, top view of an exemplary bag 1000 of an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, two outer plies 1014 are provided, and at least one inner ply 1016 is provided. The outer plies 1014 may generally possess the same length as the inner plies 1016. However, a corner 1024 at the free edge 1015 of the outer plies 1014 may be folded so that a first portion 1020 of the inner plies 1016 may be exposed. Thus, a user may open and unfold the bag 1000 by pinching and pulling at the first portion 1020 and at the second portion 1018, which is located on the external surface of one of the outer plies 1014. While a fold is made at the corner 1024 in this embodiment, a fold may also be made at other locations, such as at the free edge 1015. The bag 1000 may generally maintain a symmetrical shape and balance when produced by a folding machine—a folding machine may fold the bag 1000 to create the folding arrangement shown, folding the corner 1024 as the last step. Because of this ability to maintain balance, the folding machine may generate the folding arrangement with increased reliability.

FIG. 11 is another schematic, top view of an exemplary bag 1100 of an embodiment of the present invention. The bag 1100 comprises two outer plies 1114 and at least one inner ply 1116, and each of these outer and inner plies possess generally the same length. A section of at least one of the outer plies 1114 is removed so that a recess is defined proximate to the free edge 1115 of the outer plies 1114. This recess allows a first portion 1120 of the surface at the inner ply 1116 to be exposed. The bag 1100 may then be opened similarly to the previous embodiments, using the first portion 1120 and the second portion 1118. The bag 1100 may generally maintain balance when the folding arrangement shown is produced by a folding machine, allowing a folding machine to generate the folding arrangement with increased reliability.

FIG. 12 provides a method 1200 for preparing a sheet of bags for the containment in packaging. At operation 1202 of the method 1200, a plurality of bags is provided, and the plurality of bags may comprise at least two, like bags. The plurality of bags may be provided in the form of a sheet. Then, at operation 1204, each bag or the sheet is folded to form at least three plies so that two outer plies and one or more inner plies are formed. For example, the bags may be folded similarly to any of the arrangements described above, such as in FIGS. 3A-3D and the corresponding text.

At operation 1206, the sheet or the plurality of bags having at least two bags are rendered to be removably secured together. In this way, the bags are configured so that the user may quickly and easily remove an individual bag from the remainder of the sheet. The bags may be removably secured, for example, through the use of perforations or lines of weakness located between the first end of one bag and the second end of another bag. However, other approaches for removably securing the bags may also be used, such as by applying adhesives, by adding additional material that may be torn after the application of sufficient force, folding together layers of a bottom end of a bag into the top end of the next bag, etc.

At operation 1208, at least some portion of at least one inner ply of the one or more inner plies is exposed. In some embodiments, the act of folding the bags at operation 1204 may expose at least some portion of at least one inner ply. However, in other embodiments, material may be removed from one or more of the two outer plies within one or more of bags within the sheet. An example of this is illustrated in FIG. 11. Alternatively, the material from one or more of the two outer plies within one or more of bags within the sheet may be folded, such as at a corner or free edge, to expose some portion of the inner plies. An example of this is illustrated in FIG. 10.

At operation 1210, the sheet is configured around a central axis. Doing so may form a bag-on-a-roll that may be easy for customers to use. This bag-on-a-roll arrangement may enable customers to pull on an individual bag or the sheet to pull a first bag off of the roll. This bag-on-a-roll may be similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2.

The operations described above in reference to FIG. 12 may be performed in any order unless otherwise specified. For example, a sheet comprising multiple, like bags may be provided first that are already removably secured together, and the sheet may then be folded. Additional steps may be performed in the method 1200, and certain steps may be removed.

The bags may be packed so that the folding described above may be maintained. The bags described herein may comprise a plastic material, but other materials such as paper, cloth, or synthetic fiber may be used instead of or alongside the plastic material. The material of the bags may comprise a virgin resin material such as polyethylene, HDPE, polypropylene, PLA, or synthetic polymer. This resin material may be disposable resin. The material of the bags may alternatively comprise paper material such as kraft paper or paper pulp material. The primary material within the bag will preferably comprise materials with a low coefficient of friction such as HDPE, and this may assist in preventing outer and inner plies from locking together when pinched and pulled. However, the bag may also comprise materials with a higher coefficient of friction. Materials with a higher coefficient of friction may be used at certain areas, such as at a first portion and a second portion where a customer may pinch and pull the bag. The bags may contain any ratio from 0-100% of virgin material to recycled content such as post-consumer or post-industrial recycled content. The bag material of the invention may consist of a single layer or ply of material or alternately may be multiwall and consist of multiple layers of either the same material or alternately any desired combination of different layer materials. Each single layer or ply of material or substrate may consist of a single material or may consist of any combination of one or more materials forming a composite of material types, fillers, and/or coatings forming each layer. The bags and material of the bags of the invention may be a combination of one or more of recyclable, compostable, biodegradable, water-resistant, grease-resistant, or water soluble.

It will therefore be readily understood by those persons skilled in the art that the present invention is susceptible of broad utility and application. This specification is not intended to be exhaustive. Many embodiments and adaptations of the present invention other than those herein described, as well as many variations, modifications and equivalent arrangements, will be apparent from or reasonably suggested by the present invention and the foregoing description thereof, without departing from the substance or scope of the present invention. Accordingly, while the present invention has been described herein in detail in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that this disclosure is only illustrative and exemplary of the present invention and is made merely for purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure of the invention. The foregoing disclosure is not intended or to be construed to limit the present invention or otherwise to exclude any such other embodiments, adaptations, variations, modifications and equivalent arrangements. The claimed subject matter includes any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof, unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. In particular, the limitations presented in dependent claims below can be combined with their corresponding independent claims in any number and in any order without departing from the scope of this disclosure, unless the dependent claims are logically incompatible with each other. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A bag comprising: a first end and a second end, the bag having a generally tubular shape, wherein the first end is configured to remain sealed and the second end is configured to be opened, wherein the second end defines a recess, wherein the bag is configured to receive one or more objects in the recess defined within the second end; wherein the bag comprises a first cross section at a location between the first end and the second end, wherein the bag is folded in the first cross-section so that the bag material forms at least three plies, wherein at least one inner ply is formed, wherein at least two outer plies are formed, and wherein a first portion of the at least one inner plies is left exposed.
 2. The bag according to claim 1, wherein the bag is configured so that a person may pinch the first portion of the at least one inner ply, pinch a second portion on the surface of one or more of the at least two outer plies, and pull the first portion and the second portion apart to increase the area of the recess defined within the second end of the bag.
 3. The bag according to claim 1, wherein the bag is a starseal bag.
 4. The bag according to claim 1, wherein the at least one inner ply comprises two inner plies.
 5. The bag according to claim 4, wherein a first inner ply comprises an excess length that extends past the full length of a second inner ply.
 6. The bag according to claim 5, wherein the excess length of the first inner ply is folded.
 7. The bag according to claim 4, wherein each of the two inner plies comprises an additional length that extends past the full length of the outer plies.
 8. The bag according to claim 7, wherein the additional length for each of the two inner plies is folded.
 9. A sheet of bags, the sheet comprising: at least two bags, wherein each of the at least two bags having a generally tubular shape and comprising a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is configured to remain sealed and the second end is configured to be opened, wherein the second end defines a recess, wherein each of the at least two bags is configured to receive one or more objects in the recess defined within the second end; wherein each of the at least two bags comprises a first cross section at a location between the first end and the second end, wherein the bag is folded in the first cross-section so that the bag material forms at least three plies, wherein at least one inner ply is formed and wherein at least two outer plies are formed, and wherein a first portion of the at least one inner plies is left exposed; wherein the at least two bags comprises at least a first bag and a second bag, wherein the first end of the first bag and the second end of the second bag are removably attached to each other, wherein said first bag and said second bag are configured to be separated from each other upon the application of force by a user.
 10. The sheet according to claim 9, wherein the at least two bags are star seal bags.
 11. The sheet according to claim 9, wherein the at least two bags are removably attached to each other with perforations present between first end of the first bag and the second end of the second bag, wherein the perforations are configured to be broken upon the application of force so that the first bag and the second bag may be separated.
 12. The sheet according to claim 9, wherein each of the at least two bags is configured so that a person may pinch the first portion of the at least one inner ply, pinch a second portion on the surface of one or more of the at least two outer plies, and pull the first portion and the second portion apart to increase the area of the recess defined within the second end of the bag.
 13. A method for opening a bag, the method comprising: providing a bag, said bag having a generally tubular shape and comprising a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is configured to remain sealed and the second end is configured to be opened, wherein the second end defines a recess, wherein the bag is configured to receive one or more objects in the recess defined within the second end, wherein the bag comprises a first cross section at a location between the first end and the second end, wherein the bag is folded in the first cross-section so that the bag material forms at least three plies, wherein at least one inner ply is formed and wherein at least two outer plies are formed, and wherein a first portion of the at least one inner plies is left exposed; pinching the first portion of the at least one inner ply; pinching a second portion on the surface of one or more of the at least two outer plies; and pulling the first portion and the second portion apart to increase the area of the recess defined within the second end of the bag.
 14. The method according to claim 13, wherein pinching the first portion of the at least one inner ply consists only of pinching the first portion of one inner ply, and wherein pinching a second portion on the surface of one or more of the at least two outer plies consists only of pinching the second portion of one outer ply.
 15. A method for preparing a sheet of bags for the containment in packaging, the method comprising: providing at least two bags; folding the at least two bags to form at least three plies, wherein two outer plies and one or more inner plies are formed; exposing at least some portion of at least one inner ply of the one or more inner plies; and removably securing the at least two bags together to form a sheet comprising multiple bags.
 16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the at least two bags are star seal bags.
 17. The method according to claim 15, further comprising: configuring the sheet around a central axis.
 18. The method according to claim 15, wherein the one or more bags within the sheet are folded so that at least some portion of at least one inner ply is exposed once a bag has been removed from the other bags within the sheet.
 19. The method according to claim 15, wherein exposing at least some portion of at least one inner ply of the one or more inner plies comprises removing material from one or more of the two outer plies within one or more of bags within the sheet.
 20. The method according to claim 15, wherein exposing at least some portion of at least one inner ply of the one or more inner plies comprises folding material from one or more of the two outer plies within one or more of bags within the sheet. 